Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s human rights record is atrocious. Thousands are imprisoned on politically-motivated charges. Torture is endemic in the criminal justice system. Authorities continue to crackdown on civil society activists, opposition members, and journalists. Muslims and Christians who practice their religion outside strict state controls are persecuted, and freedom of expression is severely limited. The government forces more than two millions adults to harvest cotton under abusive conditions. Authorities still deny justice for the 2005 Andijan massacre, in which government forces shot and killed hundreds of protesters. Despite this, the United States and European Union continue to advance closer relations with Uzbekistan. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people face deep-rooted homophobia and discrimination.

Free Speech

Congress, or at least parts of it, is getting restless with the White House approach to human rights abuses in Central Asia. A recent hearing by the House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the region’s terrible human rights record, and the implications for U.S. policy, is the latest example. Led by Co-Chairman Jim McGovern (D) of Massachusetts, members asked tough questions that revealed an interest in strengthening the U.S. government’s approach to this increasingly authoritarian area of the world.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Central Asia trip is a key opportunity to mark UN concern at the highest level about the alarming state of human rights throughout the region and press for concrete improvements, Human Rights Watch said today.